Google doodle marks 125th birthday of Diego Rivera

A new Google doodle marks the 125th anniversary today of the birth of legendary Mexican painter Diego Rivera (full name Diego María de la Concepción Juan Nepomuceno Estanislao de la Rivera y Barrientos Acosta y Rodríguez). As well as gaining fame for his art, Rivera is also well known today for his marriage to another famous Mexican painter, Frida Kahlo.

After initially studying at home in Mexico, Rivera travelled to Europe, where he was exposed to the early stirrings of the cubist movement and the work of artists such as Pablo Picasso. Embracing the new mood of experimentalism in European art, Rivera was particularly impressed by the work of Paul Cezanne. When he returned to Mexico a few years later, Rivera brought this influences with him.

Rivera was also known for his strong political views and his support of communism. Leon Trotsky lived with Rivera and Kahlo for a number of months after fleeing Russia. Even among some communists, Rivera was seen as a particularly extreme figure. Expect ‘Google honours communist’ headlines on some of your favourite right-wing websites within minutes.